Thursday, November 15, 2012

Our 3rd Great Awakening

Posted by guest blogger chuck, aka xtnyoda

Our 3rd Great Awakening

Perhaps a little different perspective on a Spiritual Awakening?

The 1st Great Awakening, 1720-1750. The pulpits of Colonial America flared with the message of Freedom in Christ. The social outcome of that awakening in the church was what we call the Revolutionary War. The church awakened from her slumber and declared that they would no longer be slaves to Britain.

The 2nd Great Awakening, 1850-1870. Again the pulpits of America resounded the liberating message of Freedom in Christ. The church awakened from her slumber and declared that we would no longer own slaves. The social outcome was what we call the Civil War.

We are currently in the 3rd Great Awakening. The pulpits of America will again resound the message of Freedom in Christ and the church will awaken from her slumber and realize that we are again slaves, and that God would have us slaves to no man. "Slaves" you may ask? Yes indeed, we are slaves to the lenders of the world. The hounds of debt are crushing the church of God in the western world, destroying our marriages, and crippling the labors of the Great Commission. When the church awakes to the awful condition of our bowing to the idols of "prosperity" she will once again shake herself and free herself of this entrapment.

This will not be a war fought with sword and spear, but a war waged in the life of every inpidual Believer as they follow the Spirit of Christ into the freedom of gratefulness for what God has provided instead of longing for the next desired object dangled in front of our eyes that will drive us deeper into the slavery of the borrower.

If you would have told a citizen of the Colonies that they were in the middle of a Great Awakening they would probably have called you a fool. They would have said, "These are the worst of times with British troops on our soil confiscating our goods and property at will and levying exorbitant taxes!"

If you would have told a citizen of Atlanta in August of 1864, as General Sherman was gathering his troops on the outskirts of Atlanta preparing for the assault on their fair city, that America was in the middle of the 2nd Great Awakening they would have called you a fool. They would have said that these were the worst of times.

Historians look back and recognize Great Awakenings. In the middle of one it seems like anything but an Awakening. Awakenings are not the result of evangelism. Evangelism might be the result of an Awakening but not the cause of one. Awakenings are when the church wakes up to the message of Freedom in Christ, and then moves to free herself.

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Second awakening was contrary to the New Testament, which prescribes a more moderate approach to slavery, indeed alarmingly moderate. You are encouraged, but not required, to free your own slaves, but cannot free other people's slaves. You are not required to assist in returning runaway slaves, but a Christian slave is not supposed to run away.

That they ditched the New Testament approach prefigured that they would demote Christ the Redeemer to Jesus the community activist, and mutate into modern progressivism.